Sanjay Kumar Verma was the Indian high commissioner to Canada. (Photo: MEA)
New Delhi: The diplomatic row between India and Canada over Ottawa accusing New Delhi of having a hand in the murder of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil sharply escalated on Monday with both countries expelling six diplomats each in tit-for-tat moves. This follows after Canada named the Indian high commissioner to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, as a “person of interest” in the probe into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar – a pro-Khalistan activist – outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Media reports quoting a senior Canadian government official as saying that Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, Verma, after the country’s investigators uncovered “evidence of ongoing violent criminal activity” with connections to the Indian government.
Following Canada’s move, the Ministry of External Affairs (foreign ministry) said it was expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner, Stewart Ross Wheeler, and the deputy high commissioner, Patrick Hebert. The four others are: Marie Catherine Joly, first secretary; Ian Ross David Trites, first secretary; Adam James Chuipka, first secretary; and Paula Orjuela, first secretary.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said the Canadian diplomats have been asked to leave India by or before 11.59pm, Saturday, October 19, 2024.
Earlier in the day, in a strongly worded statement, the foreign ministry said naming Verma as a “person of interest” in Nijjar’s murder was “preposterous” and “politically motivated”. India’s foreign secretary (east) also summoned Wheeler to explain Canada’s move and convey New Delhi’s strong objection to this development.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said: “He (Wheeler) was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.”
The foreign ministry also announced that it was “recalling” Verma and other diplomats from Canada. It also defended Verma, referring to his “distinguished career” spanning 36 years. In its statement, the foreign ministry said: “The aspersions cast on him by the government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt.”
“We have no faith in the current Canadian government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the government of India has decided to withdraw the high commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” the foreign added as the reason for recalling Verma.
It may be recalled that in September 2023, the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, told his country’s parliament that investigators probing Nijjar’s murder found evidence of the Indian government’s involvement in the killing, as India Sentinels had reported. In response to the allegations, India told Canada last year to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country.
Ever since, the ties between the two Commonwealth countries have turned sour.
Last week, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, met Trudeau briefly on the sidelines of the Asean summit at Vientiane, Laos. However, no progress was made during the meeting, which officials termed as “brief exchange”.
